The Mel Hoppenheim Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement in Film Production
went to Anna Fahr. Film studies professor Peter Rist said Anna was accepted
into the program on the basis of an excellent interview and portfolio,
although she had no previous film work to submit.

While this is unusual for the School, she fulfilled her early promise.
Now she plans to visit Iran, and make a documentary about three generations
of her extended family.

The cinema awards including a range of awards, some funded directly by
faculty and staff.

The School is fortunate to have pledges from corporate and individual
donors of $22,300 in scholarships, and corporate donors have given film
and services as prizes. There are also three personally endowed awards,
given by the family and/or friends of former students.

This help is greatly appreciated, because the cost of making films is
very high, and financial support is significant for young people living
on limited incomes.

Meanwhile, the awards keep coming in.

Last week, one of the Schools current MFA students, Korbett Matthews,
won the top award in his documentary category at the big Hot Docs festival
in Toronto for a film he made as an undergrad in film production at Concordia
called Devouring Buddha.

Félix Lajeunesse, who won the Schools J.A. De Sève
Award for his excellence in film production, will also be getting the
NATP, the award given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

The NATP offers an apprenticeship in a professional environment to promising
students, and Félixs undergrad film, Electrinité,
is described as amazing.